The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has issued Industry Advice Notice 263-2023: “Declaring delivery address and rural tailgate requirements,” to address concerns about the final destination of goods, i.e. whether Metropolitan or Rural. DAFF says it has not changed the requirement for declaring rural destination of FCL/X consignments.
The notice is a clarification relating to the Autumn 2023 Goods Compliance Update, published by the Australian Border Force (ABF), that reminded Importers and licensed Customs Brokers of requirements for completing the Delivery Address field in Full Import Declarations.
Regulations requires the notice of goods that are the subject of an import declaration to include the place in Australian territory that is, or is intended to be, the final destination of the goods. This aligns with the following ABF requirement as articulated in the Autumn 2023 Goods Compliance Update: ‘“The address identifying where the goods are finally destined.”
When lodging an Import Declaration, the accredited person is asked the General Declaration question (Q.7): DO ALL FCL/X CONTAINERS ON THIS DECLARATION MEET NON-COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS AND ARE THEY ALL DESIGNATED TO BE UNPACKED IN A METROPOLITAN POSTCODE OR INSIDE THE BOUNDARY OF AN APPROVED PORT?
If the container is being unpacked in metropolitan postcode and there are no other non-commodity concerns, the accredited person can answer Y to this question and a rural tailgate inspection is not required.
If the container is being unpacked at a postcode classified as a rural destination, then the question must be answered N and a concern type is to be entered. A rural tailgate inspection direction will then be issued.
If some containers on an Import Declaration are being unpacked in a metropolitan location and some containers are being unpacked in a rural destination, the accredited person must answer N to General Declaration question 7. A biosecurity officer will then issue directions relevant to the destination of each container.
For more information, follow this link to: Declaring delivery address and rural tailgate requirements – or talk to us at Colless Young for assistance.
Also see our related article: Minimising WHS Risks on Panel Inspections.
Colless Young offers you professional advice on all matters related to international shipping and clearance through Customs and quarantine. As licensed Customs Brokers and International Freight Forwarders, we provide a complete range of logistics services, both air and sea cargo, through all Australian ports and airports. We handle imports, exports, trucking, warehousing and fumigation treatment. Call us if you have any concerns with Biosecurity.
